11 Months

This year has gone so fast. I can't believe you are going to be 1 in a month! Your personality is really starting to shine. You've always been my little giggler and now you are turning into a cuddler too. I love it. You'll crawl over to me, stand up and snuggle your head into my shoulder. You love to lay on your back and be tickled while you roll around. You are imitating everything we do. I'll be in the kitchen putting on lotion and I'll look at you watching me from the family room. You'll start rubbing your hands together like you are putting it on too. This also means you are signing!! You've masted more and all done. I'm trying to teach you eat, water, and milk next. Right now whenever you are hungry (which is most of the time) you'll start signing more. It's soo cool to start this communication. I am thinking you might be an early talker too. When you sign more you say "Ma" and when you sign all done you say "Ahh Daa". You've also started to say "Hi."

You are so long!

You love your sister more than anything and always follow her around. You 2 are starting to interact more. The other night she was rolling you a ball and you would hand it back to her. All while giggling of course. At the dinner table you 2 makes sounds back and forth, which also ends in fits of giggles.

Making raspberries while showing off your new bows.

The past couple months you have finally started getting into books. Pulling out your bin of books is the best way to keep you occupied. You'll even let me read a couple to you before bed. Before you'd cry and squirm away every time I tried. Your second favorite activity is pulling everything off the end tables. With your long arms and height nothing is safe. Remotes and coasters are your top choices.

All you wanted for Christmas was your two front teeth and you got them! They poked through at the beginning of the month and are showing nicely now. You have 7 chompers already! Very useful since you love to eat. You have out eaten your Mom at meals.

Princesses

Sienna has been into princesses ever since we left Disney last year. This year, Papa treated her to a special lunch with her favorites - Cinderella, Aurora, Ariel, Jasmine, and Sleeping Beauty. It was amazing. I have never experienced anything so magical. All of the princesses made my princess feel so special. Before the lunch started we got a meet and greet with Cinderella, who is Sienna's favorite. I wasn't sure how she would react to meeting the princesses since she was a bit scared of some of the characters the day before. Turns out there was nothing to worry about. She was so excited to meet Cinderella. She walked right up to her, handed her the autograph book, and they started talking about Cinderella's mice. She proudly showed her the princess shirt she was wearing and even ended her time by giving Cinderella a hug.

(Kensi slept through the whole meet and greet) 

After meeting Cinderella we headed upstairs in the castle for lunch. Before each princess entered music would started and a booming voice would announce their arrival while everyone cheered. Sienna spent most of her lunch turned around in her seat eagerly awaiting the next princess.

Snow white was my favorite. Probably because she gave my baby a big kiss that stuck with her for the rest of the day.

Kensi wasn't a big fan of the princesses. She cried for all of them and was much happier just eating.

And the food... It was delish. I didn't get many photos of it. This was my dessert. Some mouse with a spongy cake base covered in chocolate. Mmmmmmm.

I think we will definitely have to do this again when both of my princesses are old enough to appreciate it. Maybe even get them all dolled up for the occasion.

Santa

There has been lots of talk of Santa this year. Sienna knows all about what he does and knows exactly what she wants - "a tablet like Mommy & Daddy." Oh dear, having techy parents isn't always a good thing. I was very against this idea at first, but then I did some research and found a good option for young kids. So we went with it.

Nana and Grandpa took Sienna & Ariana to the Macys downtown Santa display where real Santa was waiting at the end of the show. Sienna said she wanted to sit on his lap and talk to him - until it was actually time to do so. Nana ended up sitting with her and she managed to agree with Santa that she wanted presents. She called me up after and happily told me she was a little shy with Santa. I reassured her that he still knew what she wanted.

I knew we'd see another Santa at Disney and she'd get another chance. The big day came to go meet Santa again. That morning Papa had Santa on speed dial, so we were able to call him and leave a message with the girls names and what they wanted. Even after doing that, Sienna still said she wanted to go sit on his lap. Off to Disney we went to meet Santa. I was still skeptical about the whole thing and assumed I'd be sitting up there with her, along with Kensi who would be screaming her head off. The magic of Christmas must've hit. When it was our turn, Sienna marched up to Santa like it was her best friend. She talked to him and told him she wanted a tablet. After they had their moment I backed Kensi up into Santa's arms and you won't believe this, but she SMILED! The girl who cries for everyone smiled for Santa. Amazing!

Dancing at Disney

We spent the past week visiting Papa in FL. It was a great trip and we all had a lot of fun. I was pretty nervous about taking my busy, busy 10 month old on an air plane for 3 hours but even she did great. We did have the screaming baby for a little while on the plane ride home, but eventually she passed out.

One of my favorite moments was at Downtown Disney. On the main stage a dance line was performing a few dances. Of course Sienna and I had to watch. As soon as I set her down, she put her hands on her hips, started shaking them to the beat, and did her best to imitate the dancers on stage. She didn't stop dancing throughout the whole performance and instantly had a crowd watching her. People even turned around in their seats to see her moves. She ate it all up flashing her "I know I'm cute" smiles. I couldn't stop giggling.

Here's a couple clips.

 

10 Months

Another month in the books. This month you have started to imitate. You are doing So Big! and said your first 2 words besides Mama and Dada. The first one was, "Uh oh". It's not usually in context yet but so cute. Daddy and Sienna taught you that one. You are also starting to say, "Bye" when you wave goodbye. It sounds more like Buh. :) You started to dance a little and tap a beat on your legs when we play music. I am trying to get you to clap but you refuse! We're also working on teaching your first signs but no success so far. I think it'll come soon.

So Big!!

You wanted nothing to do with laying down for this photo session or sitting still. My busy girl! You continue to crawl and pull up on everything. You seem very content with that and now I think you might save walking for a couple more months (I hope). 

You got 2 more teeth this month on top. And no it wasn't the front 2! You got the ones next to them instead. The front 2 are on their way. I feel like you have been teething for almost the whole month. Poor baby.

You keep growing. We were at the Dr last week and you were 21.4 lbs with your clothes on. Not sure on height. 18 months clothes fit you very well. You are out eating all the kids at daycare. Bita says at lunch they all race to the table and try to eat quicker than you. You beat them all!

Halloween

Lots of Halloween parties again this year. Sienna's dance class kicked the week off with the first party. 

On Halloween, both daycare and preschool had parties for the girls. Sienna was over-sugared and already had one bucket full of candy when I picked her up from school. Kensi also came home with a little bag of goodies. 

My little mouse

Rapunzel (who refused to wear her wig)

We trick or treated with our neighbor, Chase, and his family again this year. Sienna was so excited running from house to house, wanting more candy. They were both so cute when they got up to a door all by themselves. Sometimes they were too short to ring the doorbell and other times they'd forget to say trick or treat and say "thank you" while holding out their pumpkins. 

Scary Daddy and his costume. Chase was a bit freaked out.

I got to wear the Rapunzel wig.

Kensi was a tropper riding in the wagon the whole time.

The excitement wore her out and she fell asleep on our walk back home.

We continued our tradition of celebrating with the Eids and Moehrings. It was the weekend after Halloween, and for the most part the kids were over it. They had their costumes on for all of 10 minutes. As soon as pictures were taken, they ripped them off. No mouse for this party - Kensi was sick and stayed home with Justin. As much as we missed them, it was nice to just have the older kids who [mostly] played on their own. We had some great adult time!!

Pumpkin Carving

I love fall. The cooler weather, football Sundays, snuggling by the fireplace, and most of all the traditions that come with all the holidays. A tradition Justin and I have have always done is carve pumpkins. We switched it up a little this year and let Sienna paint her and Kensi's pumpkins. She was thrilled!

I let Kensi help for about 1 paint stroke. She watched from her chair for the rest. 

Last year Sienna wanted nothing to do with touching the pumpkin guts. This year she got over it and helped scoop some out...for a few minutes in between painting.

Justin and I did the actual carving. I did a zombie flower and he did a face with Sienna's traced hands. With the craziness of Halloween night I forget to get a picture of them lite!

Sienna & Kensi's pumpkins.

9 Months

9 months going on 14...It's been another monumental month. Every since you hit 7 months you have been going, going, going and not looking back. This month you are pulling yourself up on everything. At Bita's you love to walk behind the push car. At home you are up on all furniture and toys. You especially love to stand next to Sienna's chair at the dinner table and watch her eat.

Showing off your one handed squats

Everyone thinks you will be walking before you hit 10. You've taken a few tumbles but nothing more than a head bump. You aren't phased by much and usually just keep going. I am predicting you will be my first child taken to the ER. The only part of the house you stay away from is the stairs. I am hoping that lasts cause we still don't have to gate anything yet! (keyword is yet)

You got one more tooth this month on the bottom. A few more appear to be on their way soon. Teething bothers you a lot. Not so much with fevers but you get a little runny nose, clingy to Mommy, and have trouble sleeping. No fun for anyone. When you aren't teething you are still such a happy kid. You already play pretty well on your own too, in small spurts. You are most happy when someone will sit close to you while you alternate between paying with toys and climbing all over that person.

You weren't really having pictures this time. Who can blame you when there are fun door stops in the room?

I figured our scale was a little high last month. We got the official Drs measurements for this one:
Weight: 20 lbs 3 oz - 74%
Height: 30 inches - 99%
Head: 18.5 inches - 98%

They said you are the average size of a 14 month old. Just to compare Sienna was about 18 months when she was 30 inches. Crazy! I can't wait to see when you 2 are the same size.

Apples and Pumpkins

Fall has been flying by. Rick came up for a quick weekend visit. Lucky for him we got one of the only nice, non-rainy weekends so we headed to Emma Krumbees Apple Orchard and Scarecrow Fest. Sienna had a great time riding the train, finding her way through the rope maze, peddling the tractor trikes through the track, and of course picking out some apples and treats from the store. Kensi tagged along in her stroller but didn't participate in any of the activities. 

We still needed to get our pumpkins. Another weekend, between the rain storms, we hightailed it out to a pumpkin patch. It did start to lightly rain on the way there but not enough to keep us from our task. Sienna and Justin braved the rain and picked out everyone's pumpkins. Kensi stayed in the van while I made faces at her. 

And just because she's cute and didn't get much photo time here's my baby. She's getting so big and pulling herself up on everything.